Beyond the Veil
by loomweaver
Summary: Yet another oneshot about 'What if Louise summoned...'. Written in a flash of inspiration.


Wasn't proofread. Here goes the generic disclaimer about me not owning anything.

* * *

She was called the Zero. Not because she tried not hard enough. Not because she lacked the purity of her noble blood. Not because her knowledge was inferior. Despite all of her earnest efforts, she still couldn't cast magic, no matter how much she tried. Well, proper magic. She was able to explode things. However, what she desired most was to be acknowledged as a proper mage. She didn't want to be known as the Zero, and thus, she tried her hardest to be able to achieve a feat which was seen as trifle by her peers - to cast magic _properly_.

Louise Valliere, that's who she was. The Zero.

That day was special for her. This was the day that she would prove that she wasn't a failure. It was a day to complete a sacred ritual - Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual. Aforementioned familiar reflected summoner's abilities, his element and his soul.  
"Next, Louise Valliere!" Her name was called out. She walked towards the clearing in front of her.

Her classmates met her with negative feelings, expressions on their faces full scorn and pity.  
"So, the Zero tries her hand at familiar summoning, huh?"  
"Zero success rate, zero ability! Why don't you just give up and go home like a failure you are!"  
"What are you going to summon, Valliere, I wonder? A stone or something?"  
"Are you stupid? She will summon _nothing_, isn't that obvious? Hahahaha!"  
"Won't she blow up something? It's really dangerous to let her even try!"

Unlike you would've expected, she wasn't angry. Not at all. After all these years, she learned to control herself. She didn't care about others' opinion, the only thing she cared about was to prove herself her ability and to summon a _proper_ being.  
_You will not fail. You_ can't _fail. You_ are _a mage, no matter what others think. You control explosions on the scale nobody else can. You don't need to care about those brats. They are nothing at all. The only one who you need to prove yourself to is you and only you. You don't need to be a showoff. Proceed with the summoning._

"Proceed with your summoning, Valliere." Her teacher's words, who went by the name Colbert, mirrored her thoughts.  
And thus, she closed her eyes, gathering all of her willpower and concentration, and began her chant.  
"By the powers that be, let my desire be granted!"  
All laughter immediately subsided and whispers went through the crowd.  
"What is she chanting?" She wasn't chanting your usual incantation, that's for sure.

However, Louise didn't care about that. She, as a studious magic theory learner, knew that incantation didn't have a fixed form. She needed a familiar, which was more suitable for her, one she could rely upon, one she could understand. Thus, she was pleading to the universe from the depth of her heart and her mind. This chant wasn't just a slightly modified template like others have used for their summonings. It was a sincere request, one that universe couldn't refuse. She couldn't care less about getting an obedient familiar, who she could use to show off her nonexistent 'noble pride and honor'. She neither wanted a powerful brute obedient to her whims, nor she liked the idea of getting a beautiful no-brainer.

At this spurt of a moment, her mind was precariously balanced on the verge between sanity and its counterpart. Not quite madness, because madness is something that is achieved when human perceives something that can't be analyzed by its mind. Not quite craziness, because craziness didn't correlate at all with the world, it was a thing in itself with no connections to reality. It's like she was looking through the veil - the more you knew and comprehended, the less you could explain it. It was a common state for her, when she actually concentrated on things she cared about. The term 'self-induced insanity' suited this state most. After all, if you are insane, you certainly can see things that others can't.

"Assist with summoning of _my_ familiar from across the multiverse!" Emphasis on the word 'my' went unnoticed by everyone present.  
Suddenly, the wind blew. A strong wind led the clouds, which, as most of people present could swear, weren't here before. These clouds engulfed the sky, blocking the sunlight, albeit not completely. Students stood with their mouths agape, unable to comprehend the situation. Louise managed to make an astonishing influence on nature with her summoning spell, which didn't cover it at all. Such magic was on par with Triangle-class wind magic, and it was the _Zero_ of all people who done that.

"My familiar, you who I command!"  
The sky darkened, turning a perfectly clear day, which it was a few moments ago into the darkness and- was that a _lightning_?  
"My companion, you who I require!"

"The Zero screwed up royally! Take cover!" Kirche exclaimed, dashing for main buiding. She was swiftly followed by majority of students. Only a few people remained near the clearing where the summoning ritual was occuring - Colbert, who firmly held his wand, trying to perceive with his sixth sense whatever danger that could occur, because he couldn't abandon his the student that was his responsibility, and Louise herself, who stood completely unfazed with her surroundings and continued her chant.

"My partner, you who I understand!"  
_Huh, so that girl has potential. Very high potential at that. Only the strongest of Wind mages can control lightning and weather on this scale. To think that it is her who actually caused it._  
Little he known that he was completely wrong. The only thing Louise done to make this was to utter the words 'assist with summoning'. And so, the universe complied with the Void mage and started to change conditions specifically for the summoning.  
"My mentor, you who I admire!"

Thunderstorm, its roar full of magnificence, danced above the clearing, seeking its target.  
"Heed my call!" With the chant finished, lightning promptly pierced the sky and landed on the clearing, blinding Colbert and stirring up the dust with an outburst of energy. Afer a brief fit of coughs coming from both Colbert and Louise, which originated due to stirred dust, they tried to make out their surroundings. However, because of the clouds brought by the storm, it was completely dark.

"Professor, could you please light something up?" Louise said in a calm tone. "I can't see anything."  
"Very well." He wasn't called the Fire Snake for nothing. Concentrating his willpower, he momentarily conjured a floating ball of flame in his hand, and then both Louise and Colbert noticed the summoned creature.  
Louise mentally made a victory pose. She did it. She successfully completed the summoning. She took a closer look at the summoned creature.

It was... a man? This man, hovewer, didn't show any confusion over his surroundings. She examined his features in more detail.  
At first look, it was just a usual commonner, wearing a top hat and classic black and white combination of shirt, trousers and vest, which looked rather stylish in combination, but, otherwise, the man was completely unremarkable. However, something was off with him, both mages realized. His skin was too pale, almost as if he didn't spend any time under the sunlight, and a somewhat distant smile that he had on his face had a somewhat ominous subtext. This familiar was curiously examining his own body, looking fascinated wit it.

"Hm, a human summoning. Rather unexpected, I say." Colbert noted with a pensive expression.

"Ha, so Louise summoned a commonner! How appropriate!" Colbert turned to the source of the voice, and found himself facing a group of students that returned which was led by Kirche von Zerbst, who was also wielding a fiery sphere over her palm. More and more students returned to the clearing, as they realized that the danger has passed.  
"He looks rather sickly, doesn't he?" A random girl asked. "I mean, look at his skin color. Ha, good job, Zero, you can't even summon a normal commonner!"

A summoned creature coughed, attracting attention of everyone present. He looked right into Louise's eyes, and then she realized what was off with her summoning.

Those eyes. Those eyes. Those eyes. Those eyes. Those eyes.  
She forcefully tore away her gaze from his, no, _its_ eyes, and avoided looking directly at him, so as not to drown inside of them.  
its eyes, they were full of insanity, not the base insanity of a creature reduced to mindlessness, but of a being higher, something that was beyond her comprehension.

The only one who also noticed this gaze exchange, however, was Colbert, who shifted nervously under the gaze of this being, but didn't notice anything except some kind of obnoxiousness about her supposed familiar. Other students didn't care about it, rather focusing their attention on gossip between themselves.

"Valliere, complete your summoning." Colbert ordered, his voice without its usual confidence.  
"...I can't resummon, right?" Louise nervously twitched, trying not to look into creature's eyes.  
"I'm afraid not." Colbert remained oblivious to the creature's unnatural... nature.

She resigned herself to her fate, and slowly moved towards the being, chanting the contract spell. Landing a brief kiss on his lips, she couldn't do anything else but to meet the gaze of her supposed familiar which, she already realized, couldn't be called a 'familiar' in strictest sense. This creature didn't even flinch as runes were burned into his skin, marking him as her companion.  
"It looks like the establishment of contract was a complete success." Colbert walked up to this creature, and briefly examined its runes.  
"These runes aren't what I was expecting, but, they look fine. Curious, it looks like they translate as 'the seer'. You were truly blessed with an interesting familiar, Valliere."

The being also curiously examined its runes, obviously interested in them. But then, it turned its attention back to Louise.  
And then, it spoke.  
"All shall be revealed - your name, your power, your intent."  
Colbert and other students shrugged their shoulders in incomprehension with a look of utter confusion on their faces. This reaction didn't escape Louise's senses, however, Louise _could_ actually comprehend what her familiar was saying.

_Does the bond that we established allows us to understand each other?_  
"My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. I summoned you here to complete a contract of mutual agreement." Louise quickly ascertained her position to the summoned person.  
"A gift of flesh, your call has given, a gift that won't be unreturned." It examined Louise more closely, and took in its surrondings. "God does not play dice. And looking through the veil, you'll see if it's snake eyes or if it's midnight."

_'A gift of flesh?' 'God does not play dice?' What does he mean_ exactly _with this?_

As Louise mused over the meaning of her 'familiar's' words, she was interrupted by distinct snickers from the crowd of students gathered.  
"So, the Zero has gone completely crazy?"  
"How fitting, because now she has 'zero sense'!"  
"Hahahaha!"

It briefly glanced towards her attempted humiliators, and returned its gaze towards her.  
"Their minds, pristine, yet ugly to perfection. Should I pollute them for my grantor?" It asked in a quiet whisper that nobody else but her could hear.  
Louise contemplated his words for a moment.  
"Will there be any physical harm or complete mind shattering involved?" She asked it.  
"No." It answered simply.  
"Then, if you please."

Suddenly, all of the gathered people, except Louise and the being, grabbed their heads, as if in a fit of migraine.  
"Who- No, _what_ are you?" Louise asked in awe, shocked and impressed with his extent of power. It smiled, baring its canines.  
"A child of darkness." He announced, bringing people around, which were clutching their heads full of illusions, on their knees.  
"A son of Cain." Students prostrated themselves before him, twitching and trying to fight their worst nightmares.  
Quiet fell as if the time stood still, as people around fell unconscious. After a few seconds of complete silence, vampire's voice ripped through it.

"...I am the Malkav."

* * *

Something I thought about one day, and it struck me as awesome. Seeing as I didn't want to trouble myself with character development, I went for a oneshot and made Louise summon the one true Malkavian - Malkav.

Now, the 'gift of flesh' that Malkav is talking about. As you know, Malkav currently doesn't exist in Masquerade universe, because of turning himself after his 'death' into something that unites all of the Malkavians - the Madness Network. Basically, the Malkav that we see here is personification of that network.

'God does not play dice' is about deterministic nature of universe. Malkavians trade their sanity for an ability to accurately predict the future, inhuman perception and mind-related Disciplines, like Obfuscate and Dementation, for example. Thus, the future is not completely unpredictable for Malkavians, and therefore, not completely indeterministic. Being one of the antediluvians and a founder of Malkavian clan himself, Malkav is a very potent user of every Malkavian techniques.

Hope that cleared up some of the confusion.


End file.
